Technical Field
The present invention relates to a traveling control apparatus for a vehicle. The traveling control apparatus makes an own vehicle follow another vehicle that is a target to be followed.
Related Art
Techniques are proposed which are for controlling the travel of an own vehicle so as to keep a predetermined distance between the own vehicle and a preceding vehicle. For example, the preceding vehicle detection apparatus disclosed in JP-A-7-230600 recognizes a proceeding vehicle and a white line marking off a lane in which the own vehicle runs to calculate the degree of cutting in the driving lane of the own vehicle by a different vehicle (another vehicle). When the degree of cutting in is relatively large, the preceding vehicle detection apparatus selects the different vehicle as a target subject to traveling control of the own vehicle to control a distance between the different vehicle and the own vehicle. When the degree of cutting in is not so large, the preceding vehicle detection apparatus does not select the different vehicle as a target subject to traveling control. Hence, unnecessary control is not performed.
Traveling control of making an own vehicle follow a preceding vehicle includes traveling control in the traveling direction for keeping a distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle and traveling control in the lateral direction for making the lateral position of the own vehicle follow the lateral position of the preceding vehicle.
In a case where the lateral position of the own vehicle is made to follow the lateral position of the preceding vehicle, when another vehicle cuts in (enters) a space between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle, the traveling control apparatus selects the vehicle that has cut in the space (hereinafter, referred to as “cut-in vehicle (cutting-in vehicle)”) as a target to be controlled, to perform follow-up control (following control) of the lateral position for the cut-in vehicle. However, when a cut-in vehicle cuts in the space, if the cut-in vehicle is selected as a target to be followed in the lateral direction of the own vehicle too early during the cutting in, the own vehicle is likely to wobble in the lateral direction because the own vehicle follows the cut-in vehicle.